Lots of trades Thursday night, but very few involving current NBA players. That’s not the way the NBA Draft always unfolds, though it is trending in that direction as rising salaries complicate instantaneous trades during the draft. The Pacers tried to make a handful of deals Thursday night, but couldn’t.
The Pacers are thrilled with Mathurin, who has explosion and shooting range, not to mention the humility and work ethic they covet, but they made a run at Detroit’s fifth overall pick after Sacramento chose Iowa’s Keegan Murray fourth. Purdue guard Jaden Ivey was still available, and the Pacers wanted him. They called Detroit, but the asking price to swap picks was enormous – the Pistons wanted future draft compensation and a young player on the current roster – so the Pacers said no.
The Pacers also fielded calls about Brogdon and Turner, but none made sense.
Pacers General Manager Chad Buchanan had some telling things to say after the draft: "We're always gonna be aggressive, but there's always certain price points. Sometimes you have to walk away from deals if it's not right for your team."
On this we’re just going to have to trust Buchanan, President Kevin Pritchard and the rest of the front office, who have shown: a willingness to trade anyone, but only on their terms. Remember how the Pacers held onto Paul George into the summer of 2017, which had lots of people freaking out? OK, it had me freaking out. The 2017 NBA Draft came and went with Paul George still on this roster, which had me asking at the end of that night, in large print:
WHY IS PAUL GEORGE STILL ON THE PACERS?
The Pacers missed their chance to trade him, I was writing, and for six days I was correct.
But on the seventh day, the Pacers stopped resting. They traded George to Oklahoma City for two future All-Stars, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The same thing will happen this offseason, is my prediction, and it won’t be long. NBA free agency starts Thursday, less than a week from now, and the pickings are slim. By July 4 there will be much panic and gnashing of teeth among teams that didn’t get their point guard or shooting guard or rim-protecting, floor-spacing big man. That’s when the Pacers will do business. Brogdon can play the point or shooting guard. Turner is a terrific rim protector, and a passable 3-point shooter.
So why, you might be asking, would the Pacers trade such players? Well, Brogdon will be 30, a fine addition for a team wanting to win now, but the Pacers are a year or two away.
As for Turner, he's in the final year of his contract, and you know what he is: Good player, but not a max-contract guy. Problem is, he doesn’t know what he is. Turner will expect to get paid when he becomes a free agent after next season, and while there will be teams willing to give him what he wants, none call Gainbridge Fieldhouse home. So he needs to go, too.
Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin: Pacers backcourt of future
Let’s back up a bit, though, to discuss what the Pacers did Thursday night: They finished off their backcourt of the future, and they did it with numerical style: Tyrese Haliburton wears zero. Bennedict Mathurin will wear double-zero.
Not sure that much cool is even legal.
As a tandem, Haliburton and Mathurin seem awfully exciting. Haliburton makes players around him better by getting them open looks, and Mathurin can make those looks. He shot 41.8% from 3-point range as an Arizona freshman, dropping to 36.9% as a sophomore as defenses shaded their coverage his way. That won’t happen in the NBA, not right away anyway, and here’s a tried-and-true fact:
Good shooters in college tend to get better in the NBA, even with the deeper 3-point arc. It’s a function of muscle memory as players trade schoolwork and other college commitments for additional time in the gym.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who coached Nembhard as a Gonzaga assistant in 2020-21 and Mathurin at Arizona in 2021-22, had encouraging things to say Friday about Mathurin. He said he first saw Mathurin four years ago, “and at the time I would describe him as an athletic, undersized, under-skilled four man. Somehow between then and when I got (to Arizona) he had picked up a knack for shooting.”
“This is a guy who has tons of room to grow,” Lloyd continued. “I think he’ll be able to reach that ceiling based on his character.”
Speaking of, listen to something else Lloyd was saying of Mathurin:
“He doesn’t come with many extras,” he said. “(Mathurin) kind of keeps to himself. Doesn’t keep a big group of people he runs with. He really has immersed himself in the process of becoming a great basketball player.”
That was Mathurin’s college coach Friday. Here’s what Mathurin said, two hours later:
“I’m a simple guy,” he said. “I like to compete. I like to win.”
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Nembhard and Brown sound promising as well, Nembhard as depth at point guard to replace the outgoing Brogdon, and Brown as an explosive young wing with so much upside. Brown turned 19 just last month. Whatever he is – and he averaged 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a freshman at Baylor – he’s far from what he will be.
Same goes for the 2022-23 Pacers roster: It’s far from what it will be. Have patience, Pacers fans. Shouldn’t be long.
The Pacers are thrilled with Mathurin, who has explosion and shooting range, not to mention the humility and work ethic they covet, but they made a run at Detroit’s fifth overall pick after Sacramento chose Iowa’s Keegan Murray fourth. Purdue guard Jaden Ivey was still available, and the Pacers wanted him. They called Detroit, but the asking price to swap picks was enormous – the Pistons wanted future draft compensation and a young player on the current roster – so the Pacers said no.
The Pacers also fielded calls about Brogdon and Turner, but none made sense.
Pacers General Manager Chad Buchanan had some telling things to say after the draft: "We're always gonna be aggressive, but there's always certain price points. Sometimes you have to walk away from deals if it's not right for your team."
On this we’re just going to have to trust Buchanan, President Kevin Pritchard and the rest of the front office, who have shown: a willingness to trade anyone, but only on their terms. Remember how the Pacers held onto Paul George into the summer of 2017, which had lots of people freaking out? OK, it had me freaking out. The 2017 NBA Draft came and went with Paul George still on this roster, which had me asking at the end of that night, in large print:
WHY IS PAUL GEORGE STILL ON THE PACERS?
The Pacers missed their chance to trade him, I was writing, and for six days I was correct.
But on the seventh day, the Pacers stopped resting. They traded George to Oklahoma City for two future All-Stars, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The same thing will happen this offseason, is my prediction, and it won’t be long. NBA free agency starts Thursday, less than a week from now, and the pickings are slim. By July 4 there will be much panic and gnashing of teeth among teams that didn’t get their point guard or shooting guard or rim-protecting, floor-spacing big man. That’s when the Pacers will do business. Brogdon can play the point or shooting guard. Turner is a terrific rim protector, and a passable 3-point shooter.
So why, you might be asking, would the Pacers trade such players? Well, Brogdon will be 30, a fine addition for a team wanting to win now, but the Pacers are a year or two away.
As for Turner, he's in the final year of his contract, and you know what he is: Good player, but not a max-contract guy. Problem is, he doesn’t know what he is. Turner will expect to get paid when he becomes a free agent after next season, and while there will be teams willing to give him what he wants, none call Gainbridge Fieldhouse home. So he needs to go, too.
Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin: Pacers backcourt of future
Let’s back up a bit, though, to discuss what the Pacers did Thursday night: They finished off their backcourt of the future, and they did it with numerical style: Tyrese Haliburton wears zero. Bennedict Mathurin will wear double-zero.
Not sure that much cool is even legal.
As a tandem, Haliburton and Mathurin seem awfully exciting. Haliburton makes players around him better by getting them open looks, and Mathurin can make those looks. He shot 41.8% from 3-point range as an Arizona freshman, dropping to 36.9% as a sophomore as defenses shaded their coverage his way. That won’t happen in the NBA, not right away anyway, and here’s a tried-and-true fact:
Good shooters in college tend to get better in the NBA, even with the deeper 3-point arc. It’s a function of muscle memory as players trade schoolwork and other college commitments for additional time in the gym.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who coached Nembhard as a Gonzaga assistant in 2020-21 and Mathurin at Arizona in 2021-22, had encouraging things to say Friday about Mathurin. He said he first saw Mathurin four years ago, “and at the time I would describe him as an athletic, undersized, under-skilled four man. Somehow between then and when I got (to Arizona) he had picked up a knack for shooting.”
“This is a guy who has tons of room to grow,” Lloyd continued. “I think he’ll be able to reach that ceiling based on his character.”
Speaking of, listen to something else Lloyd was saying of Mathurin:
“He doesn’t come with many extras,” he said. “(Mathurin) kind of keeps to himself. Doesn’t keep a big group of people he runs with. He really has immersed himself in the process of becoming a great basketball player.”
That was Mathurin’s college coach Friday. Here’s what Mathurin said, two hours later:
“I’m a simple guy,” he said. “I like to compete. I like to win.”
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Nembhard and Brown sound promising as well, Nembhard as depth at point guard to replace the outgoing Brogdon, and Brown as an explosive young wing with so much upside. Brown turned 19 just last month. Whatever he is – and he averaged 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a freshman at Baylor – he’s far from what he will be.
Same goes for the 2022-23 Pacers roster: It’s far from what it will be. Have patience, Pacers fans. Shouldn’t be long.
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